Resources in this collection

"I don't put students in groups so they can learn to work in groups or be social...I put people in groups because I think that's how knowledge is created--by people who talk though ideas and puzzle through problems." Read how educator Dr. Kim Jaxon stretches the boundaries of 'literacy' in her classroom, and helps students draw on their strengths to make the group stronger.

"We educators have this need or impulse to take an expert stance in the classroom," says Mia Zamora, Associate Professor of English at Kean University. "I found that relinquishing some of that stance and giving students ways to be the experts can lead them to lean over each other's shoulders, teaching each other as they teach themselves, and ultimately teaching me something I didn’t know.".

Rikke Toft Nørgård, Assistant Professor at the Center for Teaching Development and Digital Media at Aarhus University in Denmark, practices something she calls "gelatinous pedagogy" in which she tries not to enforce a detailed curriculum from a fixed syllabus and rubric for all students but acts, in her words, "more like a jellyfish that's adjusting to the students, rather than making the students adjust to my teaching.".

Danielle Filipiak didn't start with technology, or even with the core curriculum or community issues. She started with questions: "What does it mean to be a human being?" followed by "What prevents people from living fully as human beings?" Filipiak's reasoning: "If you don't believe you have a voice and that your literacy practices can do anything for you, then you aren't engaging fully as a human being.".

"Since I'm a teen and I'm teaching, why not give other teens the opportunity? So I'm working on a project where I hope to get young adults and kids involved in teaching what they love to their peers and their community." The story of 15-year-old Scratch expert Caroline Cambemale is evidence of the emergence of young teenage teachers as new tools & resources expand the scope of learning and teaching beyond traditional schooling.

Before stepping foot inside YOUmedia, “Brother” Mike Hawkins never took any particular interest in slam poetry, nor did he consider himself a slam poet. That all changed when he began forming relationships with the program’s teens in 2009. “They opened me up to this whole new world of slam poetry where youth could freely express themselves.

After spending just a couple minutes with Jabiz Raisdana, you quickly realize he is not your average teacher. When you ask him how his school year is going, you won't hear stories about the woes of standardized testing or disengaged students. Instead, Raisdana will proudly tell you about his school's growing familiarity with blogging and Google Apps. Or how his students are studying photography and filmography by producing their own content.

This collection of seven personal stories showcases educators who are trying to reimagine both the role of educators as learners and develop new methodologies for teaching students in this increasingly digital age. These life-long learners and educators have developed teaching styles ranging from what one teacher calls “gelatinous pedagogy,” which utilizes a mutable curriculum and classroom structure, to educators relinquishing their positions as authority in order to foster a culture of mutual learning between students and teachers. Each personal story delves into the multitude of creative approaches different educators are using to transform traditional curriculums into progressive and innovative vehicles for connected learning.

Before stepping foot inside YOUmedia, an innovative, 5,500-square-foot multimedia youth learning space at the Chicago Public Library, “Brother” Mike Hawkins never took any particular interest in slam poetry, nor did he consider himself a slam poet. That all changed when he began forming relationships with the program’s teens in 2009.

After spending just a couple minutes with Jabiz Raisdana, you quickly realize he is not your average teacher. When you ask him how his school year is going, you won't hear stories about the woes of standardized testing or disengaged students. Instead, Raisdana will proudly tell you about his school's growing familiarity with blogging and Google Apps. Or how his students are studying photography and filmography by producing their own content and sharing it online. He wears his passion on his sleeve and his positivity is infectious.

About the National Writing Project

The National Writing Project focuses the knowledge, expertise, and leadership of our nation's educators on sustained efforts to improve writing and learning for all learners. The NWP envisions a future where every person is an accomplished writer, engaged learner, and active participant in a digital, interconnected world.